The general public has long been fascinated with a variety of entertainment assemblies or systems which arc educational, fun-producing, visually stimulating, and/or conversation enhancing. These entertainment systems or assemblies are constructed in a variety of forms for sale or use by either youth or adults. In spite of the broad spectrum of ages and purposes for which these systems are constructed, these systems generally have similar components, consisting of one or more movable objects and a track or pathway along which the objects controllably advance.
Well-known entertainment assemblies of this general nature arc electric train sets and racing cars sets. These systems are typically constructed with an endless loop track enabling the train, or series of trains, or the car or cars to continuously advance along the track, either automatically or by user control.
Other prior art systems that have been constructed consist of a continuous track along which objects continuously advance. Often, these prior art systems allow the objects being moved to be changeable, in order to increase the level of interest. Typically, these prior art systems employ model figures, such as soldiers, animals, or characters, which are mountable for continuous movement along the track. Other systems employ vehicles, such as automobiles, trolleys, trains, carriages, etc. as the movable objects. Regardless of the particular object employed, each are constructed for independent movement and are advanced along the track by a continuous looped belt which controls and engages a portion of the object, causing the object to continuously travel along the endless loop track.
Although these prior art systems have successfully provided some level of entertainment to the user, their efficacy has been limited, due to the repetitive nature of the activity being performed. Typically, these prior art systems are merely capable of enabling the particular object, either a figure, character, vehicle, or the like, to continuously advance along the predefined pathway established by the track. By constructing the track in a manner so that the loop consists of an endless loop, the object or objects are able to continuously travel for extended periods of time along the track. However, although the motion or movement continues, this motion is the only entertainment provided and, as a result, boredom often rapidly occurs.
Although various attempts have been made to enhance or reduce the repetitive nature of these prior art systems, these prior art entertainment assemblies or systems have been only able to provide visually distinctive objects as the principal method for decreasing the repetitive or boring nature of these prior art systems. However, the continuous movement of visually distinctive objects along the same path for extended periods of time has failed to eliminate the inherent disadvantages and, as a result, has caused such products to be of limited success and broad applicability.
Other prior art systems have attempted to overcome these inherent drawbacks by incorporating sound effects coordinated to the objects. As a result, train systems incorporate various sound effects normally associated with moving trains, while automobile racing tracks incorporate various sounds associated with actual vehicle races at a track. Although the use of such sound effects has enhanced the entertainment value of such prior art systems, the mere addition of such sound effects has been incapable of overcoming the major or principal drawbacks inherent to the repetitive nature of the systems themselves.
Therefore it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an entertainment system or assembly which is capable of providing a visually interesting and exciting movement of a plurality of objects along a predefined path, while also enabling each object to perform one or more visually unique and distinctive activities as the object travels along the path or track.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an entertainment system or assembly having the characteristic features described above which is capable of having all of the objects performing the identical activity in any desired synchronization, thereby providing further visual stimulation and enhanced entertainment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an entertainment system having the characteristic features described above which is capable of being operated in a continuous endless loop, thereby allowing the objects to repeatedly perform the desired activities on an on-going basis.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an entertainment system having the characteristic features described above wherein a plurality of independent objects are capable of being advanced in association with each other in a self-propelled vehicle, with the vehicle being advanced in a first direction or plane, while each object is capable of performing independent activities in a different direction or plane.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an entertainment system having the characteristic features described above which also enables the objects to be independently dislodged from their normal position while advancing along the track and while also being capable of being automatically repositioned in their original orientation for continued travel along the track.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an entertainment system having the characteristic features described above which is capable of being operated electronically without requiring manual interaction.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an entertainment system having the characteristic features described above which is capable of providing continuous, long-term, dependable operation for providing the desired entertainment on a continuing on-going basis.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an entertainment system having the characteristic features described above which also incorporates musical accompaniment which is automatically changed, depending upon the position of the objects along the track and/or the activity being performed by the objects.
Other and more specific objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.